Editorial Policy

Last updated: November 11, 2026

Who writes our guides

Articles are published under the name LeafLog Editorial Team. Drafts are written with the help of AI writing tools, then checked against their sources and approved by a person before they are published. We do not invent authors, credentials, growing trials or personal plant stories.

How we choose sources

  1. University extension services such as Iowa State, NC State, Clemson, Illinois, Maryland, Wisconsin and Penn State.
  2. Botanical gardens and horticultural societies such as Missouri Botanical Garden and the Royal Horticultural Society, which we also follow for current botanical names.
  3. The ASPCA Toxic and Non-Toxic Plants list as the only source for pet toxicity.

Blogs, retailers, forums and videos may point us to a common question, but they are not cited as evidence. When sources disagree, we say what each one says. Every guide lists its sources.

Care advice standards

  • Watering intervals are always a starting point: we tell readers to adjust for season, light and pot, and to check the soil first.
  • We do not claim that plants purify the air, improve health or mood, or bring luck.
  • For pests, we describe physical controls our sources give, or say to use a product labeled for that pest and plant and to follow the label.

Pet safety

Pet toxicity comes only from the ASPCA list. If the ASPCA does not list a species, we say so and never call the plant safe. We do not give treatment advice; we tell readers to contact their veterinarian or the ASPCA Animal Poison Control Center right away.

Opinions

Each guide ends with an "Our Take" section. It is clearly an opinion based on the sources cited, not on tests we did not perform.

Updates and corrections

We update a guide when a source changes its guidance or a reader reports a problem. The "Updated" date only changes for substantive edits, not typo fixes. Factual corrections are listed on our corrections page. To report an error, contact us.

Advertising and affiliate links

Ads and affiliate links never decide what we cover or recommend. Product suggestions are matched to the plant and problem being described, and pages with affiliate links say so at the top. Details are in our affiliate disclosure.